The most important power a CEO has is the power to motivate the company’s employees. However, few CEOs realize just how critical it that job is. Often, the ability to motivate is chalked up to a natural flair or charisma — but in fact some simple practices can help any leader inspire an entire company.
Setting meaningful goals can help even disconnected employees feel invested in the company’s success. And an enthusiastic workforce equals a high-performing company.
To begin the process, follow these three steps:
Begin with company goals
It’s the job of the CEO to select the company’s top goals. Maybe they include new product development or a way to help the local community. They’re not random, of course; you’ll listen to the market, analyze past results and brainstorm with key advisors. But the real secret here is listening to the customer. The smartest businesses today practice agile strategies, and in this case that means aligning your goals with what your customers are trying to achieve.
Focus on the ‘why’
It’s the CEO’s to draw the connection between the employee’s duties and the customer’s benefit. Employees need to know that what they do during the day impacts big-scale results. By putting the employee’s purpose in the context of helping others, you can help everyone understand their role in achieving the company goals. It’s a critical ingredient in making sure the goals get executed. If you fail to provide a “why,” your busy employees simply won’t make their goals a priority.
Get your employees involved
This is where most leaders derail the whole goal-setting enterprise, as they tend to get overly detailed in their planning and try to set everyone else’s goals. Because the CEO doesn’t know how to actually do everyone’s job, those plans wind up being implausible and disconnected from the staff’s day-to-day reality. Instead, trust your people to write their own goals. Allowing employees to select the “how” of their contributions will boost morale and help them connect their work to results. Provide guidance and motivation, but let them chart their course.
source:entrepreneur